


Rewritten

by TheDeadAreWalking



Series: Fictober18 [20]
Category: Watchmen - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Ending, M/M, Rorschach lives
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-29
Updated: 2019-03-29
Packaged: 2019-12-26 09:34:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 797
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18280478
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheDeadAreWalking/pseuds/TheDeadAreWalking
Summary: Dan stops Jon from taking his best friends life. Maybe not everything is etched in stone.-Day 20 - "I hope you have a speech prepared?"





	Rewritten

**Author's Note:**

> by the time i finish this it will be october again and you know what thats fine. i just want to do it. I want to finish it. 
> 
> also fuck jon let my rat boy live

Daniel's not sure what he expects to be waiting for them outside. The air's so cold and the world feels frozen around them like they're the only people alive. It's so quiet out here, he thinks. He feels like after everything it shouldn't be this silent. He wants to shut down. He wants to take Rorschach and leave but he doesn't know what to do after that. So many people are gone and all he can think about is how cold and quiet it is.

Jon is in front of them and suddenly he's shivering for another reason. It dawns on him slowly what's happening. As if this is a film he'd seen years ago and can't remember fully. He feels an onset of dread washing over him. But he doesn't want this. He watches Rorschach yell at Jon and remove his mask off and there he sees it. Sees that this is going to be the end. Rorschach yells at Jon a final time. He can't let this happen. He stumbles forward and Jon pauses. 

Jon never pauses.

"That wasn't meant to happen," Jon mused with a slight tilt of his head.

"Please don't," Daniel says ripping his own mask off now and leaving it in the snow. He keeps walking until he's standing between the two. Jon watches him, a curious contentment crosses his face. Daniel had his hands are raised in surrender, "Please."

"Daniel," Rorschach grunts out, "Justice must be given. Can't stay silent."

Daniel spun around, "You will!" He'd never seen this face in the flesh. In all the years he'd spent with Rorschach, he'd never seen this face. He wishes he'd seen it under better circumstances, "You will stay silent or he'll kill you."

"Have a speech prepared, Daniel?" Rorschach spits out, "Think this can go away. Think I'll go soft. Think they can get away with it. I'll die first."

"They've already got away with it," Daniel pleaded, "Can't you see that? We lost. We lost and nothing you say will fix anything. What's the plan? We go back and tell everyone that their golden boy committed mass genocide? Things will be worse than before."

"Out of the way, Daniel," Rorschach growled.

"No," Daniel whispered, "no, you fucking listen to me."

"Heard enough," his face twisted in anger, "Move."

"A month," the taller of the two pleaded, "give me a month to show you, convince you that this is the world now and we couldn't have saved it. That we have to live with the knowledge that it came with a price. Us and us alone."

"Prolonging the inevitable," the redhead whispered. Daniel wished he could have the same unwavering faith in himself like Rorschach did. 

"Why did you step forward?" Jon asked calmly.

Daniel spun around and glared at the untouchable man. "Because you're going to kill him," Dan choked out.

"You aren't meant to intervene," Jon looked around, "Maybe none of this truly is set in stone. Maybe it never was." Jon focused on them, "he mustn't speak of this. No one can. No one can know."

"He won't," Daniel shouted.

"I will," Rorschach echoed.

"Something happened just now. I don't understand it yet but I don't think any more blood has to be shed. So many lives have already been lost today," he turned away. "I must speak to Laurie. I believe you must also talk." They watched him leave before finally turning back to each other.

"I can't do this without you, man. This world, no matter how sugarcoated it gets, I can't do it without you. Give me a month to try and...and convince you to leave well enough alone. If I can't you can go and try and tell the press and Jon will decorate the sidewalk with your blood but give me a month."

"No," Rorschach said firmly. Daniel realized he'd never seen his eyes. They were so blue. His face looked so raw. He wondered if, under the mask, he was always this expressive.

"I've never asked you for anything. Give me this one thing. Give me a month."

He watched Rorschach glance away briefly, "Two weeks."

Daniel almost collapsed with relief but held himself steady, "A month."

Rorschach nodded, "A month. You'll be wrong. Everyone deserves to know. Truth finds a way."

Daniel knew Rorschach would hate it but he couldn't help himself. He pulled the shorter man into a tight embrace, "Thank you. I show you that your silence is warranted. I'll prove it."

Rorschach didn't return his hug but he didn't pull away. A month. He had a month to change every corrupted world view his friend held. He could do this. He had.

He held him tight.

Rorschach didn't pull away.

He didn't pull away. 

It was enough.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed this. I really can't believe ive never found a fic where my bastard boy lives.


End file.
